Vladislav Tsylyov - Rilke alive. Tolstoy and Russia. Dialogues on Art

The poet Rainer Maria Rilke visited Russia in 1900. In Yasnaya Polyana he met Count Leo Tolstoy, whom he considered to be the greatest artist and prophet. It is generally believed that the meeting took place in an atmosphere of perfect harmony. But was it really? The recollections of Maurice Betz, friend and translator of the poet, author of the book «Rilke alive», and the dialogues between Rilke and Tolstoy on art, presented by Vladislav Tsylyov, help to dispel this myth.